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TP-Link's latest WiFi 6 mesh system starts at $280
TP-Link has unveiled the Deco X68, a tri-band WiFi-6 mesh router system with reasonable pricing and several improvements over the Deco X60 WiFi 6 model.
Bryston goes Class D for its Hybrid Zone amps
After you're done pulling all the wires for whole-home audio, you probably want some peace of mind that the system will just work with no fuss, like, forever. If your setups are of the high-end variety, Bryston's new Hybrid Zone amplifiers might be just the way to complete the job -- the marque has legendary performance and reliability. Bryston has built its own linear power supply to go along with the Class D amps, so you can be sure the D-130Z and D-250Z aren't just knock-off reference designs, and the per-channel power (90-Watts for the D-130Z, 150-Watts in the D-250Z) can be divvied up a number of ways to suit your needs. Sounds great, but sadly this is some more Bryston gear that's out of our tax bracket -- $4,395 for the D-130Z, $5,695 for the D-250Z -- and these only get a five-year warranty to boot, a far cry from Bryston's standard 20-year promise. Press release after the break.
Ultra-clean custom install leaves us ashamed of our rat's nest
As impressive as some custom installs look from the front-end, CEPro has photos of the back-end of a "masterpiece" setup that simply must be seen. If you think moving a set-top box to a remote location is excessive, you'll want to munch on some Xanax before hitting the link, because your head might a-splode. Sure, the ultra-wealthy can get the job done by cutting a nice big check, but you've got to respect this kind of fanatical attention to detail that someone mustered to both plan out and install by hand. Considering that the system has more than a dozen Crestron panels for HVAC, lighting, AV, security, water features and a train set (ultra-rich, remember?), you might even say that the effort was necessary for getting things up and running and keeping them that way.
Kaleidescape intros "whole-home" Mini System, cuts prices on other systems
Our hearts were aflutter at the sight of a new Kaleidescape product today, but alas, it wasn't the fabled Blu-ray player we were hoping for. Instead, we're getting the cutely named Mini System, which bills itself as a complete multi-zone entertainment server for those with oodles of cash and a thing for ease-of-use. The device is the company's first to combine the player and server functionality into one unit, and it's also the firm's first product to ship with a remote control. With installation "as ease as an ordinary DVD player," the system contains space for DVD and CD storage as well as a main "Player" zone and two music zones; those wishing to expand things can tack on more Mini Systems or additional Players / Servers. Said system is available as we speak for a somewhat reasonable (by Kaleidescape standards) $7,995, and the 1080p Player, 1080p Mini Player and Disk Cartridges for the 1U, 3U and 5U Servers will all fall to $2,995, $1,995 and $995 (respectively) on March 16th in the United States.
Celeno and Cavium team up for WiFi-based wireless HDMI solution
A ProVision exec proclaimed last month that WiFi was the only suitable wireless HDTV medium, and it appears that bigwigs at Celeno and Cavium Networks emphatically agree. The two have joined up to debut a whole-home 1080p60 HDMI over WiFi solution here in the desert, with the gem of the show being the CL1300. Said microchip is designed to be integrated into essentially any device (a set-top-box, router, TV, toaster oven, etc.), enabling the host device to deliver H.264 compressed HD streams over long distances. In fact, it promises 802.11 beaming of up to four concurrent high-def streams. So, here's a perfectly good wireless HDMI option based on a standard that everyone and their grandmother has already adapted too -- too bad there's not a laundry list of companies already signed on to integrate it. Full release is after the break.
ReQuest produces HD user interface for its whole-home servers
We can't say we're thrilled to hear that ReQuest's wares didn't already come with a high-def interface, but given that HD GUIs are still mighty tough to come by, we can't harsh on it too much. The media server producer has just cranked out a presumably gorgeous high-definition graphical user interface for its iQ whole-home music system as well as its N-Series / F-Series media servers. Users can navigate the software with just five commands -- Up, Down, Left, Right, and Enter -- and while entering those inputs in that order won't give you a 1-Up or anything, they should be manageable with virtually any IR remote.
Sony's NHS-A30C / NHS-70C AV racks and HomeShare hands-on
At CEDIA, home install is king. Thus, it shouldn't come as any shock to see Sony introducing a few products not exactly aimed at the consumer crowd. Enter the NHS-A30C / NHS-70C home automation racks and the HomeShare multi-room entertainment solution, both of which were generating a bit of buzz while we were bobbing and weaving in an attempt to snag a few shots. The HomeShare system seemed particularly amazing, with the wall-mounted touch panels being among the most attractive at the show. Check out the full walk-through below. %Gallery-31211%
Sony's HomeShare multi-room entertainment solution spreads HD over CAT5e
While most of Sony's offerings thus far at CEDIA have catered to the general electronics consumer, this one is pointed directly at the custom install market. The new HomeShare HD multi-room entertainment solution delivers up to 16 zones of entertainment (four zones of HD video) to any room in the house via standard CAT5e wiring. The neatly packaged, um, package includes the HS-KP1 keypad (4.3-inch screen to display the XMB-based UI; pictured), the HS-MB1 distribution panel, HS-WV1 audio / video wallport, HS-AC1 power supply, HS-WA1 local audio wallport and the HS-WD1 digital media wallport for connecting an iPod (or similar). The kit will be available early next year through Sony's network of installation dealers, and pricing is expected to be between $1,000 and $2,000 per room. The whole release is after the jump.
CasaTunes pipes multiple audio streams to multiple rooms
Need another option for streaming multiple jams to multiple places? Enter CasaTunes, which is debuting a pair of devices along with accompanying software today at CEDIA. The CasaTunes XLi sits neatly within just about any desktop PC, and when connected to a CasaTunes XLa or third-party amplifier (plus speakers, natch), users can stream five separate sources of music to up to six rooms. Yeah, as in it'll manage which tracks are being pumped to which rooms. The entirely more professional CasaTunes XLe (pictured) is a rack-mount version of the XLi that adds support for 12 rooms and can be scaled up to support four boxes (or 48 rooms). There's built-in support for playing back songs coated with Microsoft's DRM, though there's no mention of any others. As for pricing / availability, expect the XLi to ship in September for $999 while the XLe departs sometime in Q4 for $1,699. Full release is after the break. %Gallery-30203%
NuVo Renovia delivers whole-home audio over powerline
Faults notwithstanding, powerline is still mighty scrumptious in theory. Evidently NuVo Technologies agrees, as it's cranking out what's possibly the planet's first whole-home audio system that relies on existing A/C wiring. The Renovia can deliver audio and metadata throughout the house by simply tapping into the power wires already within your walls, and in case you couldn't guess, it's using the HomePlug 1.0 specification in order to do so. The central hub has AM, FM and Sirius-ready tuners already on board, and owners can plug in a pair of iPod docks along with two analog sources to boot. In case that's still not enough to get your drool a-flowin', it'll also stream "virtually any digital content on the network via NuVo's Music Port module." There's no word just yet on an MSRP, but judging by NuVo's past, we'd assume that it'll be somewhere between grossly and obscenely overpriced.
AT&T: Where is our whole-home DVR (WHDVR)?
We can't say for certain how long the above pictured splash screen has been around on AT&T's website, but if "2 room DVR service" means "whole-home DVR" service, we're left with just one question: where? One of the U-verse issues that has long since held it back from being viewed as a killer programming service was the inability to serve up various DVR recordings around the home, and while AT&T has been promising that said feature was on the way for nearly a year, there's still nothing to show for it. You only need shuffle through a few pages of the U-talk forums to find a plethora of angered individuals, and while some are optimistic that WHDVR is imminent now that 2 HD / 2 SD is spreading across the land, others are understandably skeptical (and bitter, too). So, AT&T -- when can these loyal users expect WHDVR to really be implemented? And for those on the fence, is this limitation the primary thing holding you back from embracing fiber?[Thanks, Todd]
FUZE Media Systems: now with 100% more Blu-ray
It took 'em long enough, but FUZE Media Systems has finally scratched the Blu-ray itch. Reportedly, the firm has just now partnered with ArcSoft to integrate BD compatibility into its whole-home media system. If you'll recall, we just recently learned that FUZE's software would be going OEM, and sure enough, ArcSoft is the first partner "that will be leveraged in both FUZE Media Systems and OEM partner media devices." Availability? Try "now."
NuVo Music Port integrates PCs with multi-room audio systems
If you've already dumped coin on NuVo Technologies' Grand Concerto or Essentia E6G multi-room audio system, you might as well cough up a little more to snag this puppy. The newly announced NuVo Music Port is a hardware / software package that enables "home desktop and laptop PCs to act both as sources and as controllers" in either of the aforesaid systems. Essentially, the device transforms a PC into a multi-output source for a NuVo system and enables any web-connected device on the home network to double as a media controller. The software end of the deal tosses in a swank browser interface that includes cover art and the like, and just so you know, it can be added to existing systems or installed with new ones. Hit the read link for all the gory details. %Gallery-26097%
CoAir: world's first UWB chipset with wireless, coax and gigabit Ethernet
Sigma Designs has been dabbling in wireless HD technologies for eons, so we aren't going to get too excited until we see this here system-on-chip (SoC) actually hit some products that we care about. Still, the CoAir is a fairly sweet concept, wrapping integrated wireless, coax and gigabit Ethernet capabilities into one single chip aimed at whole home networking. Put simply (or as simply as possible), this chip is the world's first to "simultaneously deliver multiple independent streams of video and data over coax cable, Ethernet cable and wirelessly without compromising quality of service and throughput." Based on the WiMedia standard, it can reach speeds of up to 480Mbps with UWB (ultra-wideband) wireless streaming, and room-to-room linkage via UWB-over-coax can peg those same rates. What we have here is a great basis for building a whole home server on, but until said device emerges and performs flawlessly, we'll just smile and carry on.
iPort's in-wall iPod system gets upgraded with iPhone support
Though we'd have to say this introduction was made just a hair too late, iPort has just introduced a revamped version of its in-wall iPod system that will accommodate the original iPhone. More specifically, each of the firm's five models features a re-designed faceplate that plays nice with Apple's older cellphone and all existing touch-wheel iPods. Aside from that, you're still looking at the same whole home approach to distributing iPhone / iPod content, and while we can't say for sure that the iPhone 3G will work outright, there's nothing that a little Dremel can't fix. %Gallery-24853%
TiVo's Tom Rogers speaks of "whole home model"
During his sit-down at D6, TiVo's head honcho Tom Rogers was grilled with a flurry of questions. Aside from a lengthy back-and-forth over the DVR's ability to skip through ads, we finally got to some real meat. First off, Mr. Rogers noted that he was "hopeful" that TiVo would be launched in the UK "soon." Secondly -- and probably most interestingly -- was the notion that TiVo was working up a "whole home model" in order to solve the problem of needing multiple boxes to service an entire house. Sadly, that snippet is all Tom uttered, so we're left to ponder what's really going on behind the tightly sealed doors at TiVo. Here's to hoping we know more by the time CEDIA rolls around -- you listening, Mr. Rogers? [Via Electronista]
Olive intros MELODY No2, OPUS No4 home audio solutions
Being that music lovers everywhere are scrambling to find bona fide replacements to their suddenly antiquated compact disc players, it follows logic for Olive Media to give us one more option besides the OPUS Nº5. The OPUS Nº4 is a high-end digital music server which features between 320GB and 1TB of internal storage space, an integrated CD burner, 4.3-inch 480 x 272 touchscreen, gigabit Ethernet / 802.11g WiFi, a USB 2.0 port, a slew of audio outputs and native support for WAV, FLAC and MP3 files. As for the iPod-friendly MELODY Nº2 companion, it enables various rooms of the home to access tunes stored on the OPUS Nº4 as well as songs on any networked Mac, PC or NAS drive. If you couldn't guess, both units are aimed squarely at the affluent sect, which probably explains the $1,499 to $1,799 (OPUS Nº4) / $599 (MELODY Nº2) price tags. Check the gallery on Engadget HD.[Via Macworld]
"Custom" installs becoming less so
According to research firm Parks Associates, revenues from home theater and distributed audio systems will almost double over the next five years and reach $11-billion. If the current housing slump has you thinking that you'll be in your current abode forever and miss out on your share of that whole-home pie, take heart -- the firm expects to see growth in the retrofit market as well. As wireless networking equipment makes it cheaper and easier to saturate your home with entertainment bits, getting a whole-home system won't require new construction or major renovation. Receivers with multiple zone support are common these days, but EHD readers know that all the necessary pieces for whole-home entertainment (audio and video, please) are showing up in the market; what's really needed is some integration and streamlining. So bring it on, manufacturers; pulling cables through walls is no fun![Image courtesy CEPro]
FUZE Media Systems' CEDIA booth tour
Looks like that elusive FUZE whole-home media system is veiled no more, as our early-bird trip to CEDIA 2007 landed us smack dab in front of FUZE's booth. Of course, the whole shebang wasn't powered on just yet, and there were no representatives there to talk us through it, but that's why pictures are worth a thousand words, right? We kept it short and sweet, but on display was the FuzeTunes Controller, FuzeBox HTPC (built by Velocity Micro), a couple of FuzeMini thin clients, and a pair of FuzeTouch touchscreens to boot. Check out the gallery below for more.%Gallery-6968%
FUZE unveils whole-home media system
If you thought HTIBs were convenient, the FUZE Media System should have you grinning from ear to ear. Similar to the uber-pricey ConnectedLife.Home in a box, this all-in-one solution brings together a FuzeBox HTPC with "multiple CableCARD tuners," FuzeMini HD Media Clients, the Fuze Whole-Home remote, a four-inch wall-mountable touchscreen interface, and a number of on-wall control switches to deliver complete multimedia integration throughout your domicile. According to FUZE, you'll find "all the necessary components for media storage and distribution: a primary media server, video clients, audio clients, and multiple interface options." Interestingly, it even notes that "DRM-friendly whole-home HD video" won't be a problem with this here equipment, and while the firm has yet to talk dollars and dates, we'll hopefully be getting a much closer look at what's involved when it sets up shop at CEDIA.